Bhurisrava
Satyaki, fatigued after fighting alongside Arjuna, was confronted by Bhurisrava.
There was no good blood between the two due to a family rivalry that dated back many years, when Satyaki’s grandfather, Shini, had gone to svayamvara in honor of Devaki and had kidnapped her to marry her to his cousin Vasudeva. Somadatta, who wished to marry the one who would later become Krishna’s mother, felt offended and harmed and pursued Shini to kill him. The two had engaged in a furious battle in which Somadatta had had the worst. In the excitement Shini had not taken into consideration the rank of the opponent and had humiliated him by grabbing him by the hair and planting his foot on his chest.
Many years had passed since that day, but Somadatta had never forgotten the insult he had suffered and had engaged in severe asceticism thanks to which he had obtained a son who in the future would avenge the offense by giving the same thing to a descendant of Shini. The son was Bhurisrava.
They were both well acquainted with that old story, and for many years they had wanted nothing more than to meet on the battlefield.
When Bhurisrava threw himself at him, Satyaki knew that the moment had arrived.
After a fight so bloody that it frightened even the bravest, the very strong Bhurisrava took advantage of the fact that the opponent was exhausted and threw him to the ground, knocking him unconscious. Then he grabbed him by the hair and placed his foot firmly on his chest.
“My father is avenged,” he said aloud, “today I put my foot on the chest of a descendant of Shini. But I will not stop there. I will do more than Shini did: today, at this very moment, I will kill you.”
And he raised his sword to decapitate him.
Meanwhile Krishna, who knew well about the old rivalry and how tired Satyaki was at that moment and how strong Bhurisrava was, had not lost sight of the two throughout the duel. So when the duel was about to reach that dramatic conclusion, Krishna turned to Arjuna.
“Arjuna, look there, your beloved disciple Satyaki is about to be overwhelmed by Bhurisrava. He is about to be beheaded. If you do not intervene, we will lose our bravest soldier and dearest of friends.”
Arjuna was perplexed, he did not know what to do: intervening in that situation would have been a clearly unfair act, contrary to the most elementary values of the laws that regulate the behavior of the Kshatriyas; moreover, the virtuous Bhurisrava did not deserve such an insult. But when he saw that right hand holding a heavy sword rise against his now unconscious friend, he remembered his son Abhimanyu massacred in the most disloyal of circumstances; he thought of Duryodhana, Karna, Sakuni, Duhssasana and Draupadi, how much suffering they had endured from people who had lost all sense of righteousness. Why did he have to have so many scruples now that one of his closest friends was in danger of life? And while Krishna was shouting at him to hurry up, an arrow flew from the Gandiva and pierced the arm which held the sword.
The sword and the bleeding limb fell to the ground. A chorus of disapproval rose from the Kaurava troops.
“How is it possible that such an act was perpetrated by him, the champion of dharma? Shame, Arjuna: after seeing this, who will follow the laws of the Supreme Lord anymore?”
Bhurisrava, mutilated, turned to see who had been the author of such an evil act.
“Arjuna, was it you?” he then said, “Is it ever possible? I don’t understand what prompted you to do this. I have loyally defeated Satyaki in a duel and have the right to kill him, and you cannot step behind an opponent about to strike. You have caused a serious breach in dharma. Ordinary people follow the example of great men. But if you behave in this way, how many will still observe the sacred laws that have so far governed our life? Are you not afraid that wickedness will invade our kingdoms? Believe me, this wound does not give me any pain, but it is seeing you act in a sinful way that is causing me the greatest suffering. You should not have done that.”
Onlookers cheered on those straight words. But Arjuna looked at him with fiery eyes.
“You were able to say those words with so much pleasure, but where were you when Abhimanyu was treacherously killed? And, when Duryodhana tried to burn us alive in Varanavata, why didn’t you intervene in our defense? Also, why haven’t you declared war on the Kauravas in the name of the holy precepts of dharma?
“I remind you that you were present when, after having stripped us of all our property with a vile trick and trusting in the righteousness of Yudhisthira, the Kaurava blasphemed our marriage, but that day I did not hear a word from your mouth.
“Have you forgotten the moment when the vile Duhssasana tried to strip Draupadi of her clothes in front of everyone? You did not speak in a tone of outrage because it was not convenient for you to antagonize your most powerful ally.
“And since you did not intervene in those situations or in many others, why do you talk so much now? No, today you have no right to say or accuse me of anything.”
At that harsh speech, Bhurisrava bowed his head and reflected on what he had heard. Then, without further ado, he decided to abandon his body. So he picked up some kusha grass and placed it carefully on the ground; then, on that sacred cushion, he sat in the lotus position and began to regulate his breathing and thoughts. Thus, through the practice of yoga, Bhurisrava was preparing to leave this world and its dramas. But another wicked act was about to materialize: Satyaki, stunned, feeling free from the grip of the enemy, jumped up, grabbed a sword from the ground and without thinking rushed against him to kill him.
The shouts of Arjuna who told him not to do it were of no avail: with a sword stroke he cut off the head of the elderly hero. It was not an act that was applauded by anyone.
This is a section of the book “Maha-bharata, Vol. 2”.
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